Lions at the Bridge

  Chelsea is on a hot run under Enzo Maresca, sitting only two points behind league leaders, Liverpool, with a 10-4-2 record. Pundits won't stop talking about whether or not Chelsea are contenders for the EPL title, while the gaffer has been adamant they are not. It's been seven years since Chelsea won under Antonio Conte with talent like Eden Hazard, N'Golo Kante, and Thibaut Courtois between the sticks. While they've been progressively rising from the bottom-middle of the table, many believe this may be their year.   This is what Premier League Managers and Pundits have been saying about Chelsea this season: Arne Slot (Liverpool) Arne Slot acknowledged Chelsea's impressive form, stating that during Liverpool's 2-1 victory over Chelsea in October, he felt Chelsea was the superior team. He remarked, "It was one of the games, maybe the only game, where I felt the other team was better than us during that game." Thomas Frank (Brentford Manager)   Followi...

 Enzo Fernandez Racist Chant Has Team Divided      Enzo Fernandez came under fire after a video surfaced of the Argentinian National team chanting racist remarks. Argentina was awarded the Copa America 2024 after defeating Colombia 1-0 on a day shrouded by controversy. The game was delayed over an hour after fans created chaos by storming the gates. Hundreds of fans climbed the gates and entered the stadium without tickets, leaving those with tickets outside while security attempted to restore order. The game ended with an Argentine victory, but the players are facing the aftershock of their celebration song.  Fernandez, midfielder for Chelsea, posted a video on Instagram of the team chanting about the French National team. They are singing about the players being from Africa but documented as French. It targets Mbappe directly, whose father is from Cameroon, and his mother is from Algeria. Shortly after posting the video, his Chelsea teammate and French nationa...

        Chelsea is known for their solid royal blue kits, but since they've partnered with Nike, fans have had mixed reactions to the intricate designs. Reading the comments on X and Facebook reveals an overwhelming majority who are calling for Chelsea to go back to Adidas. People don't want jerseys that look like superhero costumes. All we want are classic and iconic jerseys with a sponsor and logo. It is not very hard to do; however, Nike doesn't seem to care because they keep putting these weird looking designs out there.      Naturally, there are some fans who love everything Chelsea. Comments of approval are really pushed by those people who are trying to get people hyped for next season. They were always going to by the kit, even if it was red. Those comments are scattered among the numerous disapproving comments by fans who are well known in the Blues community.  Here are a few of them:      Some people like the kit, but most...

      A price tag has finally been attached to Conor Gallagher for 50 million pounds, and so far, three clubs have already shown interest in signing the dynamic midfielder. It comes to no surprise that the American owners of club would be willing to sell home-grown talent for profit, considering financial fair play laws; but Gallagher has been stellar for Chelsea this season. With only a year left on his contract, the time is now to sell him or extend him. It will be sad to see him go.      Tottenham Hotspurs have had him on their shortlist for some time. Chelsea would not be doing themselves any favors by giving a hometown favorite to a rival club. Gallagher is a Blues fan so a move to Tottenham would be the worst thing for him.      Aston Villa is the latest club to show interest in signing the midfielder. It looks as though they might throw in another player as part of the transfer fee. The Guardian reported that Villa may be looking to i...

       Chelsea have spent a ton of money recently trying to build a superstar team, but most of it turned out to be wasted. However, one of the academy graduates has risen to become one of the most influential players on the pitch, which may have secured his fate to be sold during the summer transfer window.       To avoid being penalized with points reduction next season, Chelsea needs to balance their books. Spending nearly a billion pounds in one season leaves them in dire need of making a raking some money in. They may be forced to let go of some of their home-grown players such as Trevor Chalobah, Armando Broja, and Conor Gallagher.      It would be a shame to let Conor Gallagher go after the season he had, netting 7 goals and 9 assists in all competitions. He has been the most consistent player in the midfield next to the over-priced Caicedo and Fernandez. In the absence of Reece James, Gallagher has worn the armband as team c...

       A lot of people have been outspoken about their feelings regarding Mauricio Pochettino's premature sacking, especially former players and managers. After leading the club to a sixth-place finish and returning to European competition, the Club and manager mutually decided to part ways. More recently was former Chelsea player-manager, Ruud Gullit.      As a player, Ruud Gullit spent most of his career with AC Milan. He was a player-manager at Chelsea from 1996-1998 before managing Newcastle, Feyenoord, and LA Galaxy.      While discussing Poch's departure, Gullit said,  “During my period I still had the feeling: this is a football club. There was another thought behind it, with Roman Abramovich. But if you look now: you can’t really identify with that, can you? It seems like a business model; it’s just making money.”     Club officials state that the decision to let go of Mauricio Pochettino came down to his criticism...

Chelsea Settled on Enzo Maresca © Provided by Metro      There had been much speculation about who would be replacing Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, but they have finally come to a decision. An agreement has been reached with Leicester City to sign Enzo Maresca for 10 million pounds. While he wasn’t on the top of any short list that I’ve read over the last week, Maresca might fit perfectly into the new Sporting Directors’ plan. Who is Enzo Maresca?      Enzo Maresca is a 44-year-old Italian former player with the likes of Juventus and Sevilla. After spending some time as an assistant coach under Pellegrini at West Ham, a failed stint as manager at Parma, and assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at Man City, Maresca just led Leicester city to a Championship title and promotion back into the Premier League. There are some who have voiced concern over his short stint at Serie B club, Parma, that resulted in being sacked after a dozen or so games, but the disci...

Thiago Silva is gone, Reece James is back, and Conor Gallagher has been incredibly consistent throughout the season, but there have been talks about Gallagher being for sale; so, everyone is wondering who will be selected for the role of captain in the upcoming season.     Reece James The problem with Reece James is his inability to stay fit. He was out of commission for the majority of the 23/24 season. His quality was evident as soon as he stepped onto the pitch, but how long will that be? Losing the captain is a huge blow to the team morale, so they need a captain that can be a solid pillar all season. James also has a temper that was seen when he was suspended from the Brighton game. Now he will be missing the first three games of the next season.  Conor Gallagher No other player bleeds blue like Conor Gallagher does. We have all been impressed with his performance and fighting spirit in the middle of the pitch. He has been a solid defensive and attacking force. ...

The English Premier League season is over and it's time to start preparing for the Euro 2024 taking place in Germany. While some of the Chelsea squad will be touring the US this summer, a handful of them will be competing for their countries on June 14.  Despite having the most successful youth academy, only two Chelsea players will be suiting up for England's national squad, Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher .  Djordje Petrovic has been called upon by Serbia to compete for a starting position against Predrag Rajkovic and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic. Mykhailo Mudryk is going to be turning it up for Ukraine, as he does when he plays for his home country.  Marc Cucurella  has yet to be confirmed to be called upon by Spain though he has played for them in the past.  Players Left Out of the Euro 2024 Robert Sanchez has been left out of the squad for Spain.  Romeo Lavia will not be competing for Belgium on account of being injured.  Surprisingly,  Malo G...

 Ally McCoist's Pick for Chelsea Boss      There has been a ton of speculation about who is going to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge next season. Ally McCoist, former Scottish Footballer, sat down with talksportbet.com and gave his two cents on the topic. If you've played a FIFA game in the last ten years you may recall his voice as you went one-on-on with the keeper. He spoke about the oddity of firing Mauricio Pochettino after the successful campaign Chelsea had. McCoist also compared hiring Kieran McKenna to that of Graham Potter, stating:       "I thought Graham Potter would have been a good option at the time, so do Chelsea go left-field for someone like Kieran McKenna again? It would be a ridiculous gamble if they were to appoint him considering how little experience he has. He’s done a great job with Ipswich in the Championship, but Chelsea is a completely different kettle of fish."     I agreed with his assess...

 Chelsea Legend Unhappy with Manager Firing       The decision to release Mauricio Pochettino has been a shock to many of the players and coaching staff. One Chelsea legend and current academy coach took to Instagram to express his feelings about the departure. John Terry, longtime defender and team captain during their most successful era, wrote that he is "gutted" by Poch's exit. Chelsea fans share in his hope that players are not bought or sold until the next manager is selected.      If the sporting directors or ownership at Stamford Bridge had any sense, they would listen to the five-time EPL winner. They need to figure out the new manager's tactics and formation so they can collaborate on acquiring players who will fit their style of play. That was one of the problems all of the five managers have had in the last couple of years. They all picked up a squad arranged by the previous manager that didn't fit the formation or tactic. Also, the pl...

     After the finishing in the top six and qualifying for Europa League, it has been decided, through mutual agreement, that Mauricio Pochettino will be leaving the club. Players and fans are shocked but not surprised given the track record under the reign of Todd Boehly and Co. This marks the fifth manager to leave the club, since the 2022 takeover. Conversations and rumors have been swirling around about who will be taking Pochettino's place. It will be interesting to see which promising or seasoned manager is brave or proud enough to contend with the complicated mess that is the Chelsea ownership. This article will be exploring the top six managers expected to be in the running for the job. 1. Roberto De Zerbi     One manager who has been repeatedly linked with Chelsea over the season has been Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi, formerly of Brighton. His time at Brighton has come to an end after the 23/24 season, but fans are concerned with his inconsistency o...

  What is the Problem at Chelsea?      Chelsea FC has been a revolving door for managers for many years, but five managers in two years is excessive. It can be argued that some of those managers were not prepared to take on the juggernaut of expectations for a Champions League club with an astronomical budget, such as Graham Potter or Frank Lampard. However, Thomas Tuchel and Pochettino seemed to have the qualifications and support from fans for the job, yet they failed. To be fair, Tuchel led the club to their last Champions League cup and was thrown out with the dirty bathwater of the Abramovich era.      As a fan, I was really looking forward to seeing what Poch could do with a few seasons at the club. It took him five years to take Tottenham from the middle of the table to top contenders, so I expected no less for Chelsea. It appears as though Todd Boehly also hoped to give him another season after seeing the spark they've been missing during the c...